1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for monitoring, tracking and improving a person's performance during a golf game. The apparatus is provided in the form of a portable wrist-worn device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Golfers are always looking to improve their golf game. One of the most effective ways to improve one's golf game is to integrate the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the game. Studies suggest that to play to one's greatest potential, one must be physically relaxed and mentally engaged. Some researchers note that the heart rate slows down just before performing a specific task, such as putting, and that elite golfers' heart rates slow down much more than that of beginners. Elite golfers generally display higher attention levels, suggesting a link between heart rate deceleration and focus and performance.
Various companies, such as Polar Electro, CardioSport and Timex, offer heart rate monitors to help users keep track of their heart rate during physical activities. For example, Puolakanaho et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,361,502, entitled “Non-Invasive Measuring Device with Different Operating Modes,” disclose a measuring device to be carried by a user during exercise. The measurement device operates in different modes, including a watch mode, a set mode, and an operating mode. In one embodiment, the measuring device is a heart rate monitor that includes a wireless transmitter, which is attached to the user's chest, and a wireless receiver, which is attached to the user's wrist.
One problem with conventional heart rate monitors, however, is that they require a separate chest strap to transmit heart rate information to the wrist-worn unit. Wearing a chest strap may not appeal to all users, as some may find a chest strap uncomfortable or inconvenient to wear for extended periods of time.
The MioSHAPE™ sports watch from Physi-Cal Enterprises, the owner of the present invention, provides electrocardiogram (ECG) accurate heart rate monitoring without the use of a chest strap. This sports watch further includes a calorie tracking system that can be tailored to the user's personal file. The calorie tracking features of the MioSHAPE™ sports watch are disclosed in Dickinson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,041, entitled “Electronic Apparatus and Method for Monitoring Net Calorie Intake,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Redwood et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,996, entitled “Articles with Removable Elements,” disclose an article to be worn by a user, such as a glove or watch, that includes removable elements. The removable elements may be health enhancing, comfort enhancing or an electronic component. Redwood et al. disclose that the article may be a golf glove and the electronic component may measure heart rate, blood pressure, distance walked, body temperature, external temperature, time, strokes, and/or the speed of the hand of user, and store information, etc.
In addition to the heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) may also be used to monitor a person's physiology. HRV refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate. The normal variability in heart rate, which can be determined from an ECG, or from a pulse wave, is due to the synergistic action of the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The ANS strives toward balance via neural, mechanical, humoral and other physiological mechanisms in order to maintain cardiovascular (and other bodily system) parameters in their most favorable ranges to facilitate optimal reaction to changing external or internal conditions. For most organs including the heart, the sympathetic nervous system stimulates the organ's functioning, while the parasympathetic nervous system inhibits function of that organ. An increase in sympathetic stimulation causes an increase in heart rate. In contrast, an increase in parasympathetic stimulation causes a decrease in heart rate. At rest, both the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems are active with parasympathetic dominance. The actual balance between them changes constantly in an attempt to achieve optimum considering all internal and external stimuli.
HRV may be measured using various time domain or frequency domain methods. Originally, HRV was assessed manually from calculation of the mean R-R interval and its standard deviation measured on short term ECGs. The smaller the standard deviation in R-R intervals, the lower the HRV. Recent developments in microprocessor technology have enabled the calculation of frequency measures based on mathematical manipulations performed on the same ECG-derived data. Further details regarding the various methods of measuring HRV are disclosed in the 1996 article, entitled “Heart Rate Variability: Standards of Measurement, Physiological Interpretation, and Clinical Use” by the Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology the North American Society of Pacing Electrophysiology.
None of the above-mentioned devices, however, discloses a golf-specific watch that is capable of the following: (1) monitoring heart rate and/or HRV to improve a user's control, accuracy and consistency; (2) enabling the user to input and store information relevant to a round of golf, including the number of strokes and putts; and (3) calculating, based on the user-input information, statistics for the round of golf.